first day

The team arrived safely in Durban on the 15th and drove up to Tembe on the 17th...I was so glad to see everyone and have since been regaled with stories involving the effects of Ambien on teen aged boys, unphotogenic people, and plane food.

Today was our first day of work...we went to a AIDS-prevention center in the nearby town of Manguzi to learn more about their programs. Tholulwazi Uzivikele (means "empower yourself through knowledge") runs several programs including a home based care program for those who are not able to reach the hospital regularly, an orphan care program, and they also offer life-skills classes to Manguzi and the surrounding communities. Several members of the team witnessed to Tholulwazi employees after the briefing.

Afterwards, we drove to a pharmacy to get supplies for our foray into Mozambique and most of us hung out outside talking amongst ourselves and with the locals. Alice and Lindsey quickly spotted the nearest baby which they hijacked from its mother...it's getting to be a regular occurrence...

We drove out into the bush to make several visits (whenever we drive somewhere, it goes without saying that someone gets stuck...this time it was Billy), one to a girl named Mbali and another to an elderly man named Khumalo. We had met Mbali the previous year's mission trip...her parents had died, leaving her as an orphan to care for her three younger siblings. Around this time she became a Christian and as a team we just dropped by to say hello and to encourage and pray for her. Khumalo is an elderly refugee from the war in Mozambique about twenty years ago who fled across the border into South Africa after witnessing the murder of his wife and children before his eyes. He has since lived in this community outside of Manguzi and we spoke with him for awhile and gave him some rice and other food to support himself on.

After all this, it was back to Tembe where everyone is now working on praise-and-worship, skits, and playing indoor soccer! Our evening isn't done yet and it was a good first day of work.